Starting device for explosion-engines.



WLP. BRAVES. STARTING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 2, 191 1.

'1 ,@64,942,; Patented June 17, 1913.

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Patented June 17, 1913.

W. F. TRAVES.

STARTING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

APPLICATION rum) P334, 1911.

lin/emar 7 Mm. 2. M JYF'MYS w. P. TRA VES. STARTING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED PEILE, 1911.

-1 ,064,942, Patented June 17, 1913. m

NITED STATES PATENT oFFICE- fwesssrsar. reeves, orlctnvrtann, 01110, ASSIGNOR-TO WILLIAM H. BECKER, or

i a CLEVELAND, OHIO,

STARTING DEVICE FOR EXPLQSION-ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Wnnns'rnn F. Tnavns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland in the county of Ouyahoga and State of hio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Starting Devices for Explosion-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Thisinvention relates to starting device for explosion engines .and has for its ob- "ject the provision ofa simple and compact mechanism whereby an'initial rotation or series of rotations can be given to the shaft of an internal combustion engine in order tostart the same from a position of rest, and which will be automatically wound up again or-' reset by the engine itself so as to beflready for a succeeding operation when it is next desired to start the engine.

w This invention is designed particularly for use with automobile engines, thoug obviously it is not restricted to such use.

One embodiment, of my invention is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of the complete device, portions thereof being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1: and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a corresponding view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front end view of the completed device, and Fig. 5 is a detail View of a modification.

Describing the parts by reference characters, 1 represents the engine shaft which is-connected to the shaft 2 of the starter by means of a coupling 2 which is preferably of a design to permit slight angular motion between the shafts, although as far 45.

, COIICGI'IIG as the o eration of my starting device is d the same might be built directly upon the engine shaft. The shaft 2 is journaled at 3 and tin the endsjiand 6,, respectively, of a casing 7, said journals being preferably provided with glands 8 and t), respectively, .whereby the leakage of oil s prevented. The bottom of the casing is preferably made flat, as at v10, to form a more convenient support for a part of the internal mechanism and forthe greater Specification of Letters Patent. Ap lication filed February 2, 1911.

Patented June 17,1913. Serial No. 606,227.

ease of attachmentto' the support upon which it is mounted. The joints between the casing members are preferably packed, as shown at 11. Within this casing a winding drum is sleeved upon the shaft, said drum consisting essentially of two independently rotatable lates 12 and 13, the former of which will ereafter be referred to as the winding plate and the latter as the unwinding plate. These plates are yieldingly connected together by means of the torsion spring 14., the ends of which are connected to the respective plates in any convenient manner such, for instance, as shown at 15. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, these plates are spaced apart by other plates 16, all said plates being entirely disconnected from each other and having smooth abutting faces permitting them to turn over each other with minimum friction. The plate 12 and all the plates 16 are preferably mounted upon bushings 17 loosely sleeved upon the shaft, while the plate 13 is sleeved upon the extended hub 18 of a ratchet or the like 19, which is securely keyed to the shaft 2. So far as the operation of my device is concerned, the plate 13 might as well be sleeved directly upon the shaft 2, the present construction being adapted for economy of space and for adding strength to the ratchet wheel. This ratchet is illustrated as abutting closely the end 5 of the casing, the outer face of the plate 13 being suitably recessed, as at 20, to receive the same. A plurality of pawls21are mounted upon pivots 22' carried by the bottom of this recess and are actuated by springs 23 to engage the ratchet 19 so as to lock the unwinding plate in driving connection with shaft 2. The periphery of the unwinding plate 13 is formed with a plurality of notches 24 ads. ted to be engaged by an arm or trigger 25 y means of which the starting device may be held against operation. The winding plate 12 is formed 011 its periphery witha plurality of ratchet teeth adapted to be engaged by the pawl.3l which is illustrated as being pivoted between standards 32 formed on the base plate 10 and impelled by the spring 33. It will now be obvious that if the Winding plate 12 be rotated in the direction permitted by the pawl 31 it will store up potential energy in the spring 1 1 so that upon actuation of the trigger to release the unwinding plate the pawls 21 and ratchet 19 will transmit that energy to the shaft 2 so as to start the engine, after which the shaft 2 will continue to rotate freely without affecting the winding mechanism. The mechanism whereby the continued rotation of this shaft serves to rewind the starting, device will next be described.

Sildably but non-rotatably mounted upon the shaft 2 adjacent the winding end of the drum is a clutch device consisting of a cylindrical body having external helical grooves 36 and having at one end thereof a radial plate 37 formed with spaced engaging fingers 38 about its periphery. A feather 39 holds this body against rotation upon the shaft 2. The face of the plate 12 is formed with an annular groove 40 having therein a plurality of abut-ments or stops 41 equal in number to the fingers 38 and similarly spaced. A spring -42 tends to throw this body toward the winding plate 12 so as to cause the fingers 38 to engage the lugs 41.

Between the grooved portion of the body 35 and the plate 37 an annular groove 44 is formed which is slightly deeper than the grooves 36. Journaled in a bearing 45 extending inwardly from the casing end 6 parallel to the shaft 2 is a rock shaft 46 having on its inner end a finger 47 which is adapted to engage the groove 44so as to hold the fingers 38 out of contact with the lugs 41. A second rock shaft 50 is also journaled in the casing parallel to the shaft 2 and has an arm 51 slidably but non-rotatably mounted thereon as, forinstance, by being sleeved upon the square portion 52 of the shaft. This arm is yieldingly impelled away from the winding plate 12 by means of the spring 53 and its approach toward saidplate is rigidly limited by the lug 54 which is adapted to engage a similar lug 55 carried by the arm. The free end of the arm is formed with a finger 56 adapted to fit in the groove 44, and the trigger 25 is rigidly secured to the further end of the shaft 50 so as to be moved simultaneously with the arm 51. The free ends of the shafts 46 and 50 extend throughthe front end of the casing and are there provided with lever arms 60 and 61, respectively, by means .of which they may be operated. The outer end of the arm 60 is formed with a slot 62 and the end of'the arm 61 is provided with a pin 63. A single operating rod 64 carries a pin disposed in the slot 62 and has at its end an elongated slot 66 receiving the pin 63. This rod ex-v tends to a lover or pedal near the engine operator and is so arranged that under. normal conditions the pins 63 and 65 will lie at the ends of their respective slots, as shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of the device is as follows: assume all the parts in the relation shown in Fig. 1, the spring 14 being fully wound and the engine being still. The operating rod 64 is pushed toward the right, (Fig. 4) its first effect being to rock the shaft 46 so as to move the finger 47 into the groove without at the same time having any effect on the shaft 50, owing to the lost'motion caused by the slot 66. As soon, however, as the slot 66 has been traversed, the arm :61 will be moved so as to rock the shaft 50 and trip the trigger 25, thus releasing the spring and rotating the engine shaft. At the same time, the arm 51 will have been drawn out of the groove 44, whereupon the spring 53 will instantly project it-to the end *of its travel along the shaft 50, but the clutch member 35 will remain at the end of -the' shaft 2, since held by the finger 47, and'yth whole drum (including plates 12, 13 and l'fi) will be entirely free to rotate with shaft 2 or} to remain stationary, depending upon whether the friction of the pawl 31 is greater or less than that of the drum upon the shaft. The operating rod 64 is now moved back into its original position, carrying with it the arm 60 but leaving the arm 61 behind, by reason of the lost mot-ion.

at 66. The motion of the arm 60 now serves. to move the finger 47 out of the groove 44,

releasing the clutch body 35 which is now thrust by the spring 42 against the winding plate 12 so as to positively engage the same. The continuance of the motion of the operating rod will move the shaft 50 back-into its original position, so as to cause the trigger 25 to relock the unwinding plate and simultaneously cause the finger 56 to drop into one of the'helical grooves 36. The plate 13 now being stationary and the plate 12 revolving, the spring 14 will be rewound and the length of time during which this rewinding takes placewill depend upon the number of turns of thegroove 36 and upon the length of travel between the lugs 54 and 55. The spring 53 is of less strength than the spring 42, so that the first effect of the continued rotation of the body 35 is' to compress the spring 53 without aflecting the engagement between the fingers 38 and the stops 41. During this time the main spring is being rewound. The stops 54 and now come together and limit the further movement of the arm 51, whereupon the further rotation of the body 35 moves it endwise along the shaft 2 out of contact with the winding plate 12 until the finger 56 falls into the groove 44, whereupon the cycle of operation is complete. It will be obvious that the turns that the spring is wound will depend upon the number of revolutions of the shaft 2 necessary to move the fingers 38 out of engagement with the steps 41 after the trigger 25 has engaged the plate 13. Furthermore, it will be seen. that even if the operating rod 64 be arrested in an intermediate position, no damage'can be done, inasmuch as the trigger 25 and the windinglimiting means 51 are carried by the same shaft. If the trigger is not engaged it makes no difference that the finger 56 is out'of enga ement, since the whole winding drum wi l rotate freely, while if the trigger 25 be engaged the finger 56 will also be operating and the winding will necessarily be limited. At its forward end the shaft 2 is provided with stops 70 adapted to receive a crank of the usual kind, sinceif the engine fails tov start upon the first impulse it is necessary to turn it over by hand, since the starting device will have become exhausted. A cap 71 is preferably secured to the end of the easing so as to cover the end of the shaft, and

its loss is revented by the chain 72..

Owing erable in some cases to employ the ball clutch illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the unwinding plate 13 is illustrated as having an annular recess 20 formed with spaced inclined notches 73 having therein balls or rollers 74 adapted to grip the cylindrical surface of the plate 19 which serves in lieu of the ratchet 19. The casing, however, is intended to be partly filled with oil, which will be found to deaden the noise to a great vention inz detail, I do not propose to be limited tosuch; details except as the same may be positively included in the claims hereto annexed or may be rendered necessary by the prior state of the art.

Hawing thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1 1. In "a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with a shaft adapted to beconnected to the engine shaft and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of a winding and an unwinding plate independently sleeved upon said shaft, means connecting said. plates and adapted for the storage ofpotential energy of rotation, means forconnecting said unwinding plate to saidshaft so as to drive the same in one direction, a trigger carried bysaid support and governing the operation of said unwinding plate, means carried by said support and preventing retrograde rotation of said Winding plate, a clutch device carried by said shaft and adapted to. engage said winding plate, and means carried bysaid support and operated simultaneously with said trigger for disengaging said clutch and:

carried by said support and preventingretr'o,

o the fact that the pawl and a ratchet device l9 and 21, shown in Fig. 3, is liable to be somewhat noisy, it may be prefwinding plate at a predetermined number of turns after the engagement of said unwinding plate by said trigger.

2. In a starting device for explosion ens gines, the combination, with a shaft connected to the engine shaft, and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of a winding and an unwinding s late independently sleeved uponsaid sha t, means connecting" said plates and adapted for the storage of potential energy of rotation, means for connecting said unwinding plate to said shaft so as to drive the same in on direction, a trig,-

ger carried by said support and governing the operation .of said unwinding plate, means grade rotation of saidwinding plate,aclutch device carried by said shaft and adapted" to engage said winding plate,means for holding said clutch away from said winding plate during the operation of said unwinding plate, and means carried by said support and. operated simultaneously with said trigger for disengaging said clutch and winding plate at a predetermined number of turns after the engagement of said unwinding plate by said trigger.

3. In a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with a shaft adapted to be connected to the engine. shaft and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of. a winding and an unwinding plate independently sleeved upon said shaft, means connecting said plates and adapted for the storage of potential energy of rotation, means for con necting said unwinding plate to said shaft so as to drivethe same in one direction, means carried by said support and'engagaing said winding plate to prevent rotation thereof in the opposite direction, a clutch device carried; by said shaft and adapted to engage saidwind -ing plate, means for releasing said unwinding plate to give an initial rotation to said shaft and for locking said unwinding plate against further forward rotation after such 1 1,0, impulse, means for causing said clutch to engage said winding plate between said time of releasing and locking, and means for disengaging said clutch a predetermined number of turns after said locking. 7 1L5. 4. In a starting device for explosion en-- gines, in combination, anunwinding' plate adapted to be connected in driving relation to the engine shaft, a winding plate, means connecting said plates and adapted for the storage of potential energy of rotation, a shaft adapted to be driven by the rotation of said engine, a clutch' device on said shaft and adapted to. engage said winding plate, means for locking said unwinding plate against operation, means for normally holding said clutch device out of engagement with, said winding plate, means operative after the release of said unwinding plate for causing said clutch device to engage said winding plate, means operative after the engagement of said clutch device for relocking said unwinding plate, and means operative at a predetermined number of turns after the'relocking of said unwinding plate to cause said clutch to disengage said winding plate.

5. In a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with 'a shaft con- 0 nected in driving relation with the engine shaft and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of a winding plate sleeved upon said shaft, means whereby the forward rotation of said plate may be caused to store up potential energy of rotation, means whereby said potential energy canbe released to cause an initial rotation of said shaft, a clutch member slidably but nonrotatably mounted on said shaft and adapted to engage said winding plate, a vspring tending to project said clutch into such engagement, means normally holding said clutch out of engagement against the tension of said spring, the body of said clutch being 2!; formed with a helical groove, means for releasing said holding means after the re lease of the potential energy to permit said clutch to engage said winding plate, and a finger adapted to engage said groove to draw said clutch out of its engagement after a predetermined number of rotations. 6. In a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with a shaft oper- 'atively connected tothe engine shaft and a' support in which said shaft isjournaled, of

a winding and an unwinding plate independently sleeved, upon said shaft, means connecting said plates and adapted for the storage of potential energy of rotation, a one-way clutch for connecting said unwinding plate to said shaft, a rock shaft carried by said support parallel-to said first shaft, a trigger carried by said rock shaft and adapted to engage said unwinding plate, means carried by said support and engaging said Winding plate to prevent retrograde rotation thereof, a clutch carried by said first shaft and adapted to engage said winding plate, a spring tending to project said clutch into such engagement, an arm carried by said rock shaft for holding said clutch outof engagement against the tension of said spring and for releasing said clutch simultaneously with releasing said unwinding plate, means for holding said clutch out of engagement during the operation of said unwinding plate, means for releasing said clutch and permitting its engagement with the winding plate immediately after the re-' locking of the unwinding plate, and means for-disengaging said clutch from said windingpla teafter a predetermined number of -revo lutioiis thereof relative to said unwindingplate.

55 7. In a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with a shaft operatively connected to the engine shaft and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of f a winding and an unwinding plate independently sleeved upon said shaft, means connecting said plates and adapted for the storage of potential energy of rotation, a one-way clutch for connecting said unwinding plate to said shaft, a rock shaft carried by said support parallel to said first shaft, a trigger carried by said rock shaft and adapted to engage said unwinding plate, meanscarried bv said support and engaging saidwinding plate-to prevent retrograde rotationthereof, a clutch slidably carried by said first shaft. and adapted to engage said windin plate, said clutch having an external helical groove, a spring tending to project said clutch into such engagement,

an arm carried by said rock shaft for holding said clutch out of engagement against the tension of said spring and for releasing said clutch simultaneously with releasing said unwinding plate, means for holding said clutch out of engagement during the operation of said unwinding plate, and

means for releasing said clutch and permit- "ting its engagement with the winding plate immediately after the relocking of the unwinding plate, said arm having a finger adapted to engage said helical groove for disengaging said clutch from said .winding plate after a predetermined number of t p revolutions thereof relative to said unwinding plate. a t t 8. In a starting device for explosion engine's, in combination, a'torsion device adapted to store up potential energy for giving an initial impulse to the engine "shaft, 'a winding plate adapted to be rot-ated'to store up such energy, a'shaft driven bygthe engine shaft and having a clutch: member thereon adapted to engage said flwinding plate, means for retaining said clutbh inin: operative position and'for disenga 'ng said clutch simultaneously with the liberation of said'energy to start the enginepaseparate means for engaging said clutch member to hold it in inoperative position upon the 11c..-v lease of said first means and for disengaging said clutch prior to the rengagement of said first means therewith, and means for reengaging said clutch simultaneously with the reengagement of said energy storing means and for disengaging said clutch from said winding plate after a predetermined number of revolutions thereof.

9. In a starting device for expicsion engines, the combination, with a shaft connected to the engine shaft, of a pair of independently rotatable plates sleeved upon of rotation, means for connecting one of said plates to said shaft in driving relation, means for arresting the forward rotation of said plate, means for reventing the rearward rotation of the ot ier of said plates, a clutch member slidably but non-rot-atably sleeved upon said shaft and adapted to en: gage said other plate, means for releasing said first plate, means for retaining said clutch member out of engagement with said plate during the normal operation of the engine, and during the operation of said engine by said first plate, means permitting the engagement of said clutch member and said other plate after the operation of said first plate, and means for separating said clutch member and plate at a predetermined time after the relockin of said mechanism.

10. In a starting device for explosion engines, in combination, a spring adapted to have potential energy of revolution stored therein, an unwinding plate adapted to vtransmit the energy of said spring to the engine shaft, means for locking said plate against operation, a windin plate by means .of which energy can be again stored in said spring, a shaft rotatable by said engine shaft and associated with said winding plate, a clutch member slidably'but non-rotatably mounted upon said shaft and having a l1elical groove in its exterior face and having means adapted to engage said winding plate,

a spring adapted to project said clutch into engagement with said winding plate, and an arm adapted to engage said groove for drawing said clutch member away from said winding plate after a predetermined amount of winding of said spring.

11. In a starting device for explosion engines, the combination, with a shaft operatively connected to the engine shaft and a support in which said shaft is journaled, of

a winding and an unwinding plate indeing plate to said shaft, a roc shaft carried by said support arallel to said first shaft, a trigger carrie by said rock shaft and adapted to engage said unwinding plate, means carried by said support and engaging said winding plate to preventretrograde rotation thereof, a clutch slidably carried by said first shaft and adapted to engage said winding plate, said clutch having an external helical groove, a spring tending to project said clutch into such engagement, an arm slidably mounted on said rock shaft for holding said clutch out of engagement against the tension of said spring and for releasing said clutch simultaneously with releasing said unwinding plate, a spring associated with said arm and acting to slide the same therealong in a direction away from said winding plate, means for holding said clutch out of engagement during the operation of said unwinding plate, and means for releasing said clutch and permitting its engagement with the winding plate immediately after the relocking of the 1mwingg ng plate, said arm having a finger ada ed to engage said helical groove for disengaging said clutch from said winding plate after a predetermined number of revolutions thereof relative to said unwinding plate; a

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses. WEBESTER F. TRAVES. lVitnesses:

HAROLD E. SMITH, BRENNAN B WEST.

topics of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i 

